Developments

Red Roulette

An Insider’s Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption and Vengeance in Today’s China In the headline-making and bestselling tradition of Bill Browder’s Red Notice comes a riveting memoir from a man who rose within the ranks of China’s ultra-rich only to see his business partner-wife mysteriously disappeared. After the Communist Revolution, Desmond Shum’s grandfather, a lawyer, had one chance to leave China, and instead chose to stay. The government shut down his law firm and seized his house. Officials marked his family as belonging to a ‘black category’ that included former landlords and rich peasants, meaning the Shums would be stigmatised and impoverished. As Desmond was growing up, he vowed his life would be different. Through hard work and sheer tenacity Shum went to college in America and returned to China to make his name in business. There, he met his future wife, the highly intelligent and equally ambitious Whitney Duan. Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and, powered by a set of relationships they formed with top members of the Red Aristocracy, vaulted into China’s billionaire class. Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport, and they followed that by developing one of Beijing’s premier hotels. They were dazzlingly successful, travelling in private jets, funding multi-million-dollar buildings and endowments, and purchasing expensive homes, vehicles and artwork. But in 2017, their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond, while residing overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had been disappeared – consigned to some unknown fate – along with three co-workers. In Red Roulette Desmond Shum pulls back the curtain on China’s ruling elite and tells the story of a remarkable woman who rose to prominence in a strongly patriarchal society. Written from a desire to reveal the real truth of what is happening inside China’s wealth-making machine, this eye-opening tale […]

Metallography and Failure Analysis

By George Vander Voort, Metallurgist & Exclusive Consultant to Buehler Tuesday, September 28, 9:30am CST Buehler is sponsoring a webinar “Metallography and Failure Analysis” on September, 28, 2021, 9:30am CST (China Standard Time or 8.30 pm CDT). George Vander Voort, exclusive consultant to Buehler, will present this educational webinar. Failure analysis consists of studies to determine why a component failed in service. Registration is complimentary and recordings will be available. The 9-11 attack of the World Trade Center buildings 1, 2 and 7, and the 1979 failure of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear reactor are classic examples of failures that required an analysis on what happened to the materials during very serious failures. Metallographers are brought in to analyse and identify what caused the problems and how they can be dealt with to stop the problem and any potential further damage and also to determine what can be done to prevent future problems. With more than 50 years of experience in metallography and failure analysis, George will discuss fundamental principles of performing a failure analysis, as well as utilising metallographic techniques to investigate failures and determine why they occurred and how they can be prevented. Practical examples of the use of light optical and electron microscopy will be demonstrated through examples of failed specimens with a variety of case histories and studies, including: Ductile and brittle fracture surfaces and how to recognize them Fatigue fracture types Failure due to corrosion Failures caused by microstructural changes Failures due to embrittlement Highlight common problems Discuss key techniques to ensure success A live question and answer session will follow the presentation. The webinar is ideal for metallurgists, metallographers and specimen preparation technicians, new engineers, quality control and laboratory personnel in any metallography facility new to the area or looking for […]

Automation: The future of logistics companies in Asia Pacific

-Aik Jin, Tan, Vertical Solutions Lead, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific In recent years, Asia Pacific (APAC) has seen a rapid growth in e-commerce adoption, but the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated digital transformation, leading to an even bigger surge in e-commerce. Between 2020 and 2025, the Asia market is estimated to account for 57% of the growth of the global e-commerce logistics market1. As more consumers switch to online delivery platforms, click-and-collect models, and curbside collections, supply chains are being challenged to adapt quickly. Though container shortages, shipment delays2 and the growing demand for air cargo demand in Asia3 have affected fulfillment in recent months, industry leaders are rapidly investing in technology solutions to ease these growing pains – especially automation. There are several different automation solutions that enable manufacturers, warehouse operators and logistics providers to get goods to consumers faster with greater accuracy and efficiency, and at a lower cost. And now that technological advancements are making automation solutions more accessible to companies of all sizes, it will be easier for entire supply chains to keep up with evolving consumer demands, process more orders, and expand operations, all while keeping workers safe. Automation Solutions Have Become More Scalable and Flexible Companies in APAC that are looking for new ways to meet changing business requirements are beginning to realise the importance of automation in warehouse processes. Zebra’s Intelligent Enterprise Index found that nearly half of transport & logistics (46%) and manufacturing (42%) organisations had already deployed Internet of Things (IoT) solutions on a company-wide scale by 2019. Fortunately, warehouse automation solutions have become much more scalable and flexible in recent years, delivering significantly faster returns on investments (ROI) than were previously possible, a result born from the need for innovative technologies that could be rapidly deployed. Necessity is truly the mother […]

Online workshop on carbon capture open for registration

Infocus International Group has released a brand new online workshop – Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and it will be commencing live on 8 November 2021. This course is intended for those in business, commercial and strategically focused roles within the energy sector; in particular those responsible for environmental matters, business sustainability and business transformation in areas such as oil & gas, hydrogen and industrial energy usage. Attendees will leave with a clearly explained and independent perspective on how, where and why CCUS is happening now and could grow in future – covering the range of technological solutions and business drivers, including policy. In addition to reviewing existing CCUS approaches, the course will highlight new opportunities and integrated value creation possibilities through carbon utilisation. This will include how the fate of CCUS links to other aspects of the clean energy transition, such as clean hydrogen production, industrial decarbonisation and the transition away from oil & gas. Benefits of Attending – Understand the most challenging aspects of the clean energy transition & the role of CCUS in addressing them– Examine the various technological aspects of the CCUS value chain, from capture through to storage and/or utilisation pathways– Discuss the key economic and policy variables which will determine how CCUS plays out in different markets– Review up-to-date examples of projects and strategies from around the world, and evaluate the lessons from them– Learn the dynamics of the new competitive environment, including the risks of “business as usual” and the importance of industrial clusters in CCUS deployment– Identify approaches to sustainable strategic planning and new business opportunity assessment Want to learn more?Eemail emilia@infocusinternational.com or call +65 6325 0210 to obtain the event brochure. For more information, please visit https://www.infocusinternational.com/ccus .

The biggest mistake a manufacturer can make is to focus on cost cutting

-Ishan Galapathy In 2009, global cereal giant Kellogg’s announced an aggressive three-year, $1 billion cost reduction scheme. The savings were to be delivered through overall supply chain improvements that focused on process optimisation, asset utilisation and waste management. The scheme was christened Project K-LEAN (Lean, Efficient, Agile, Network), and it was primarily driven to replicate the success achieved at two North American Kellogg’s manufacturing plants. Given the clear objective of Project K-LEAN (rapid cost savings), every initiative delivered exploited short-term, bottom line improvements like headcount reduction, maintenance budget cuts and plant shutdowns. Although the organisation over delivered on its ambitious $1 billion promise, it left its teams with scars, bruises and loss of trust, which made it difficult to engage employees in any further productivity improvement initiatives. This is not an isolated case. In September 2020, Kraft Heinz announced a $2 billion cut in costs over five years as a way of driving growth. Since the Kraft Heinz merger in 2015, the company has lost nearly half its stock value. An even harder pill to swallow for Kraft Heinz is that its stock keeps tumbling while the S&P 500 Index for the same category keeps rising. When the cost-cutting plan was announced, analysts and investors didn’t buy-in that businesses such as Kraft Heinz could turn around its performance and increase shareholder value by ‘cutting’ costs. In comparison, a company such as Proctor & Gamble (P&G) that focuses on processes that deliver cost reductions as an outcome truly operates with a world-class supply chain. Don’t take my word for it—Gartner’s latest 2021 global top-25 supply chain report lists P&G as one of five organisations in the ‘masters’ category, which means it has maintained a top-5 ranking for at least seven out of ten years. In 2013, I was fortunate to visit […]

Yili named the world’s most valuable dairy brand by Brand Finance in 2021

On August 10, 2021, Brand Finance released the annual report on the most valuable and strongest food and drink brands. China’s Yili has once again claimed the top spot this year on the list of the Top 10 Most Valuable Dairy Brands, posting an 11% growth of brand value to US$9.6 billion. With its strong innovation capabilities, Yili has also been ranked as the global dairy leader in terms of brand potential for four consecutive years. Yili maintained steady growth despite the pandemic of the previous year. Mr. Zhang Jianqiu, CEO of Yili Group, told Brand Finance that Yili, adhering to the principle of “putting consumers first” and upholding a global vision, continued to provide customers with high-quality products and services through innovation. Based on this, Yili won the recognition and trust of consumers, which contributed to its outstanding scores in Brand Finance’s rankings. Winning the trust of 1.3 billion consumers with high quality Over the years, Yili has regarded quality as its lifeblood and committed itself to producing dairy products that are 100% safe and healthy. Yili’s strict quality standards has helped the company gain the trust of consumers. According to the 2021 Asia Brand Footprint Report, Yili is the most preferred FMCG brand, with a 92.2% brand penetration rate and an outreach to nearly 1.3 billion consumers, and it has been chosen for the most times per household for the sixth consecutive year. Responding to the diverse demands of consumers with innovative products The Covid-19 pandemic has raised consumers’ health awareness. Consumers have put forward higher requirements for quality, and increasingly diverse demand for the dairy market. Yili makes good use of big data to gain insights into the needs of consumers in real time and accelerate product innovation and upgrades. At present, the company has more than 20 […]

Topcast welcomes continued distribution partnership with MarathonNorco Aerospace

Topcast Aviation Supplies Co., Ltd., a global leader in aircraft parts distribution and MRO services, has extended the multi-year distribution agreement with MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc. (“MNAI”) for offering aircraft batteries, Christie chargers and mechanical products. The appointment authorised Topcast to distribute over 1,160 aircraft parts ranging from Nickel-Cadmium vented batteries, sealed batteries, mechanical hold-open rods, receivers, latches and safety fittings. MarathonNorco is committed to a high industry standard of quality assurance in compliance with ISO9001:2015 and AS9100D, and certified by FAA and EASA. To care for the environment, MNAI deploys ISO14001:2015 Environmental Management System to control, monitor and reduce environmental impacts associated with product production to sustainable development. “We’re very pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with MarathonNorco, a member of TransDigm Group. Topcast is proactively collaborating with world-class OEMs to supply top-notch products. I believe this partnership proofs our sound relationship with Principals to meet and exceed our customer expectations,” said Larry Levine, Director of Business Development (America) of Topcast. With more than 70 years of experience, MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc. has served commercial and military aviation markets with reliable electrical power and mechanical products. MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc. designs and manufactures Nickel-cadmium batteries, chargers, engine nacelle hold-open rods and a wide range of mechanical couplings, fasteners, receivers and interlocks.

India’s first current account surplus since 2003 may not sustain as trade deficit set to widen, says GlobalData. India recorded an annual current account surplus for the first time in 17 years in 2020 due to lower trade deficit amid depressed import demand with closure of economic activities due to the COVID-19 induced nationwide restrictions. However, the current account surplus may not sustain as trade deficit is forecasted to widen from US$23.3bn in 2020 to US$53.9bn in 2021 with the re-opening initiatives, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The current account balance showcases the gap between the country’s overall foreign receipts and payments and highlights the nation’s external sector’s robustness. India’s current account which recorded an average annual deficit of 1.9% of GDP during 2004-2019 turned into a surplus of 1.0% of GDP in 2020. The main driver of India’s current account surplus was lower imports due to subdued domestic demand and lower prices of oil, which narrowed down the trade deficit by US$102.8bn in 2020. Thus, while exports weakened by 13.8%, imports contracted by a massive 26.6% in 2020. Shruti Upadhyay, Economic Research Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Most Indian states are embarking on reopening initiatives and with the resumption of economic activities domestic demand is expected to rise, which is anticipated to drive the growth of exports and imports. “GlobalData forecasts the imports and exports to grow at an average annual growth of 6.4% and 5.2%, respectively, during 2021–25. Consequently, India is expected to record a current account deficit of 1.74% of GDP on an average during 2021–25, as per the IMF estimates.” India is the third largest consumer of the crude oil in the world, with an import dependency of almost 85%, playing a vital role in total import growth of the country. The reduction in […]

How can we make machining sustainable?

The changes that cut waste and increase productivity According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions declined by 7% in 2020. Breaks in industrial production contributed to the reduction, resulting in CO2 emission savings of nearly 50 million tonnes. This significant reduction in emissions demonstrates the large potential the industrial sector can play in combatting climate change. Here Emrah Titiz, president of sales, India, at global leader in metal cutting tools Sandvik Coromant, looks at how the machining industry can become more sustainable. Like many other manufacturing sectors, the machining industry is under rising pressure to develop more environmentally friendly practices. This is in line with Goal 12 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainable consumption and production. Fortunately, making machining more sustainable doesn’t have to entail high costs and productivity sacrifices. In fact, thoughtful adjustments to processes can simultaneously improve a business’s bottom line and decrease its environmental impact by reducing waste and increasing efficiency. Reduce tool waste Tools can be a high source of waste in machining centres. Many tools contain valuable, finite materials, and it’s important that these are kept in circulation to preserve resources. Once a tool has been worn, it doesn’t have to become destined for landfill. The first step to consider in bringing new life to old tools is reconditioning. In contrast to tool repair, which only fixes the defective part, tool reconditioning rejuvenates the entire tool to bring it back to its original manufacturing standard. With each aspect restored, the reconditioned tool can perform to the same high ability as upon initial purchase. Reconditioning can add multiple use cycles to a tool, therefore reducing the required frequency of replacements. Manufacturers can maximise reconditioning by considering it from the purchasing stage, through selecting tools that have been […]

tna strengthens North African operations

Global food processing and packaging solutions provider, tna solutions, has announced the appointment of Magdy El Dessouky as General Manager for North Africa. With over 21 years’ experience in customer service and business development, El Dessouky will assume responsibility for on-the-ground customer services and technical support for Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. This latest move forms part of a wider initiative to bolster tna’s ongoing commitment to support its customers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) territories. Since first joining tna in 2016 as General Manager for Australia, El Dessouky has held various key positions across Europe, the Middle East, the US, Africa and Australia, developing valuable experience along the way. In his new role, he will assist customers based in North Africa – helping them to optimise their packaging and processing solutions with the latest innovations tna has to offer. Commenting on the appointment, Mukul Shukla, General Manager-MENA at tna said: “Magdy’s appointment will lend further support to tna’s efforts to support the food manufacturing sector across the region. North Africa has shown great potential in embracing new technologies and is now ripe to establish more innovative enterprises. tna’s expansion here is just one example of how our strong trade and investment ties continue to grow, creating even more opportunities for our customers now – and in the future.” Alf Taylor, Managing Director and CEO at tna adds: “With a proven track record in technical sales and engineering, Magdy’s extensive global experience and passion for results make him the perfect candidate to offer our customers the best in high-performance, flexible and simple solutions. The food manufacturing industry is an integral part of the North African economy and Magdy’s appointment will lend further support to our initiatives to bolster growth and long-lasting success for our customers in the […]

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